Just about a year ago, Portland, Maine artist Brzowski gave us one of his most ambitious projects to date, ENMITYVILLE. Now he comes back with a shorter, shared project, a split EP with Ohio artist MC Homeless called Dig Two Graves, which comes to us courtesy of I Had An Accident Records.

The split EP is probably most associated with punk rock, and so it makes sense that when this type of project emerges, it would be from two hip hop artists with a heavy dose of punk rock to their sensibilities. On Brzowski’s side, things are fairly interesting for a few reasons. One is that after working with his group Vinyl Cape, and on his last solo album, he had been leaning pretty strongly in a metal direction for his overall sound. While he works with the same producers from those projects, C Money Burns and 80HRTZ, the three songs on Dig Two Graves are decidedly more upbeat, melodic, and danceable. The songs lean on synthesizer for melody and ends up with an early ‘80s goth sound, especially when vocalist Renee Coolbirth joins him on “Cemetery Rose.” This of course is all happening while Brzowski still brings his gruff low voice and philosophical poetry to the mic. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Brzowski’s side is his cover or interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Conqueror Worm,” which you frankly don’t hear every day. On MC Homeless’s side, things are crunchy, noisy, and menacing, with production being provided by Death Woods. If you’re not as familiar with MC Homeless, don’t worry, since this recording marks his official return to rhyming after a six-year hiatus. It certainly won’t be for everybody, but for those that are looking for something darker and different, something more confrontational, this will be for you.

Dig Two Graves is a great, short project with a lot of information packed into a small amount of space. Brzwoski and MC Homeless pair well together as artists that are pushing the limits of their music, exploring the darker side of hip hop.